Foreword .... 
F ifty years ago the Perpetual Flowering Carnation was almost unknown. 
Today it is probably the most popular and widely grown of all commer¬ 
cial cut flowers. Its size, its keeping quality, its productiveness, its vigor and 
its range of color have all been so improved that there is no purpose for 
which cut flowers can be used for which the carnation is not appropriate and 
pleasing. 
These improvements have been made possible by a small group of hybrid¬ 
izers, or plant breeders, who, by infinite patience and skill, and at great ex¬ 
pense, have bred and disseminated new varieties. 
The introduction of new varieties is not only essential to the improvement 
of the carnation, but is necessary to insure its very existence. Because the 
carnation does not flower true to variety from seed, propagation must be by 
cuttings. It is only natural that when this method of propagation is continued 
year after year the plants deteriorate and must be replaced by new varie¬ 
ties. A plant lacking in constitution or vigor is incapable of producing a 
flower of high quality. Blooms become small, off-color and lacking in keeping 
quality, while plants become weak and diseased. If no new varieties were 
to be introduced in the next ten years, the carnation industry would vanish, 
or at least melt into commercial insignifiance. 
It is, therefore, very essential that on your own range you periodically plant 
new varieties. Progressive firms set aside a certain sum to be spent 
each year on new varieties. Not every variety is successful, but the pro¬ 
cedure is necessary and wise. This is very important if a firm is to hold its 
own in the cut flower market today. A new carnation does not necessarily 
have to be the largest bloom or the heaviest producer ever grown. If it is 
a variety with flowers of good size and quality, if it is reasonably productive, 
and, above all, if the plants are of good constitution, the breeder is justified 
in introducing it and the grower is wise to give it a trial. A very small per¬ 
centage of new varieties are sensational improvements over varieties of the 
past, nevertheless the larger percentage of less sensational, but good quality, 
new varieties are absolutely essential to the carnation industry. Old varie¬ 
ties MUST be replaced by new ones if your own business is to succeed and 
the carnation is to continue in popularity. 
For years our firm has been one of the largest breeders of carnations in 
America. One entire house is usually devoted to breeding and the develop¬ 
ment of new varieties. In addition, we make it a point to study and pur¬ 
chase every new variety of merit introduced in this country. In this catalogue 
we list thirty-five varieties grown in this country today. We grow over a 
hundred varieties, many of them, introduced in the last two years, but the 
ones contained in this booklet are the only ones we care to recommend. At 
no other period in the history of the industry has it been more important 
that growers look to the quality of the carnations they produce. From the 
accompanying list it is possible to select the leading varieties in every 
color class: 
